news 2011

Health Jonathan Wood | 02 Feb 11 The majority of hospital cases of Clostridium difficile at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford are not caused by transmission of the bug within the hospital, so early results of a new project suggest. It was one example used by Professor Peter Donnelly last night, in giving the first Oxford London Lecture at Church House in Westminster, to illustrate how the modern revolution in genetics is already beginning to affect healthcare for us all.

Researchers report that an arctic relative of the grouse has evolved to cope with its extreme environment by moving efficiently at high speeds or when carrying winter weight. This discovery is of relevance to welfare in the poultry industry where birds are bred to be heavier. Ultimately, better understanding the physiology of a natural animal model of extreme weight gain could one day lead to improving the welfare and meat yield of domesticated breeds and so contribute to preventing a future food security crisis.

Terrain thought to be ruled by only the largest dinosaurs to inhabit the earth could have in fact been home to dozens of other creatures, ground-breaking research from The University of Manchester has found. Writing in the journal of the Royal Society Interface , Dr Peter Falkingham has discovered that dinosaurs only created lasting footprints if the soil conditions were perfect to do so - and entirely depending on the animal's weight.

Science Jonathan Wood | 01 Feb 11 Centrioles are barrel-shaped connection hubs that, like key Meccano parts, hold together the microtubule connection rods that form the structural framework of the cells in our bodies. As cells grow and divide, they replicate their DNA before splitting into two daughter cells.

Physicists from the University of Birmingham, with colleagues at Imperial College, London, and Technical University of Denmark, have demonstrated an 'invisibility cloak' that can hide a three-dimensional object, centimetres in dimension, large enough for the cloaking area to be visible to the human eye, according to research published today (1 February 2010) Communications.

Major trial suggests common treatments for treating children with HIV equally effective New trial addresses questions about best practice for treating HIV in children - News Tuesday 1 February 2011 by Sam Wong A major trial comparing the effectiveness of two classes of drugs commonly used to treat HIV in children has found that both are equally effective as an initial treatment.

Boys will infect boys, swine flu study shows Study will help researchers model how epidemics spread and how interventions such as school closures can contain outbreaks Boys predominantly pass on flu to other boys and girls to girls, according to a new study of how swine flu spread in a primary school during the 2009 pandemic, published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Health 31 Jan 11 Women starting hormone therapy at the time of menopause have a greater risk of breast cancer than those starting therapy later, an Oxford University study has found. The results, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute , add to our picture of how the balance of risks and benefits of hormone therapy vary for individual women.

PA 33/11 Offering the morning after pill free over the counter has not reduced the number of teenage pregnancies and may be associated with a rise in sexually-transmitted diseases (STIs), according to a report by experts at The University of Nottingham. Professors David Paton and Sourafel Girma used local health authority data to study the impact that the introduction of Government-backed schemes to offer emergency birth control at pharmacies and without prescription have had on conception rates and the diagnosis of STIs among under-18s.

Wealth of orchid varieties is down to busy bees and helpful fungi, says study Orchids form intimate relationships with insect pollinators and underground fungi, which help them thrive and broaden their varieties Monday 31 January 2011 For immediate release Scientists have discovered why orchids are one of the most successful groups of flowering plants - it is all down to their relationships with the bees that pollinate them and the fungi that nourish them.

Art historian joins BBC antiques show in Brighton University of Sussex art history research student Alexandra Loske has graduated from behind-the-scenes advisor to on-screen expert with an appearance on BBC show The Antiques Road Trip . The show, a spin-off from the perennially popular Antiques Roadshow , has begun its second series, with Alexandra appearing in the Brighton episode, where she shares her insights into rare and beautiful objects in Brighton's Royal Pavilion.

Scientists find key protein that suppresses prostate cancer growth in the laboratory Research on proteins leads towards potential new prostate cancer treatments Cancer researchers have discovered an important protein, produced naturally inside cells, that appears to suppress the growth of prostate cancer cells in the laboratory.

Cambridge research funded by the health charity Diabetes UK has for the first time successfully demonstrated the potential of an artificial pancreas in pregnant women with Type 1 diabetes. It is hoped the development could drastically reduce cases of stillbirth and mortality rates among pregnant women with the condition.

Excessive release of calcium inside cardiac muscle can cause sudden cardiac death in heart failure patients. New research has revealed how this could happen, opening up new possibilities for combating heart disease. Calcium plays a vital role in regulating cardiac muscle contraction. With each heartbeat, calcium is released from intracellular stores known as the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), through specialised channels called ryanodine receptors (RyR2).

Health 28 Jan 11 A new study shows that statins are at least as effective in reducing the risk of heart attack or stroke in patients with low levels of inflammation as they are in other patients. It has been suggested that a person's level of systemic inflammation, as measured by levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the blood, could modify their response to statin therapy.

Science Pete Wilton | 28 Jan 11 An asteroid 'the size of the Titanic' caused the luminous scar on Jupiter's surface spotted back in July 2009. In 1994 astronomers observed the planet being struck by the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet, and most people assumed that only comets, with their erratic orbits, were likely to get close enough to Jupiter to be dragged to their doom.

Science 28 Jan 11 Scientists studying genetic evidence have discovered a new species of wolf living in Africa. The researchers have proved that the mysterious animal, known as the 'Egyptian jackal' and often confused with the golden jackal, is not a sub-species of jackal but a grey wolf. The discovery, by a team from Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), the University of Oslo, and Addis Ababa University, shows that grey wolves reached Africa around 3 million years ago before spreading throughout the northern hemisphere.

Art 28 Jan 11 The crossing out of words visible in Swift's letters was actually done by Swift himself, Dr Williams has found. Image with kind permission of the British Library Board An Oxford University academic has applied digital image analysis to intimate letters sent simultaneously by Jonathan Swift to two women, with some surprising results.

An internal 24-hour clock that affects all forms of life has been identified by University scientists. The research provides important insight into health-related problems linked to individuals with disrupted clocks - such as pilots and shift workers. The findings also indicate that the 24-hour circadian clock found in human cells dates back millions of years to early life on Earth.

Early humans may have preferred the fox to the dog as an animal companion, new archaeological findings suggest. Researchers analysing remains at a prehistoric burial ground in Jordan have uncovered a grave in which a fox was buried with a human, before part of it was then transferred to an adjacent grave.